Match Day SEMI FINAL Geelong v Sydney MCG 7.50pm Friday 15 September

[Ludwig]

Geelong surely came into the game conceding the midfield contest. Guthrie out; Selwood playing injured; and then they take Dangerfield out of the midfield and put him in the forward line. No one would have been more shocked at what transpired than Chris Scott.

[monopoly19]

There is a clear significant psychological issue, big changes are needed to overcome it.

I agree, though I really hope I'm wrong. As talented as this team is, I wonder if they have the mental strength to win a grand final. I think it's a tough ask to have faith in yourself and your teammates after the disappointment of 2013 onwards (the Buddy era, I guess). Yes, we've been a very successful side in the period but I don't think it counts for much until you win a premiership.

[Merdo5555]

There is a clear significant psychological issue, big changes are needed to overcome it.

[rojo]

It is a bit of a worry when you look at the Reserves team and the GF's they have played in recently and lost them all. Some years player availability has been an issue for them but not this year. Like the Seniors they had been playing good footy, only lost a couple of games all season and yet failed at the final hurdle - they played poorly. Last night our Seniors lost, which is ok, but they didn't just lose, as a team they played poorly. Is that just footy or is there an issue either cultural, leadership, coaching, personnel or whatever?

[S.S. Bleeder]

What a pathetic performance. It was so terrible that I spent 3/4 of the match in the bar talking to Melbourne and Richmond supporters. It all started with the @@@@eful umpiring. That 50m penalty against Buddy, that free for chopping the arms and the free against Rampe for pushing Danger in the back are classic examples. They were wearing our players like a glove yet the umps just ignored this whilst penalising our guys for doing the same.

Our players were just slamming the ball onto their boot even when there was no pressure (yes McVeigh, Jack, et al, I'm looking at you). What is our problem? This was 2014GF 2.0. You would never have seen Hawthorn capitulate like that.

Dangerfield played an awesome game. Playing him at full forward was a master stroke.

[Blood Fever]

The fact that 2014 GF and this game are so similar is the worry. Back in the 2005 to 2012 era we would never end a final series like that.

In 2011, won elimination final v St Kilda. Absolutely hammered by Hawthorn in semi.

[O'Reilly Boy]

The fact that 2014 GF and this game are so similar is the worry. Back in the 2005 to 2012 era we would never end a final series like that.

Let's just fact-check the 2005 to 2012 record (and beyond).

2005 win GF narrowly. Lost first week of finals, then two victories
2006 Won first week, prelim; lost GF narrowly.
2007 finish 7th Lose 125-87 to Pies in week 1 elim.
2008 finish 6th. Win elim; Lose 106-69 to Bulldogs in semi
2009 12th
2010 finish 5th Win elim; Lose 77-72 to Bulldogs in semi
2011 finish 7th Win elim; Lose 122-86 to Hawks in semi
2012 finish 3rd, Win qualifying, prelim, Premiership
2013 finish 4th, lose qualifying, win semi, well beaten in prelim by Freo

No doubt last night was a terrible performance, but we've lost in final series before, including some comprehensive defeats in the purported golden era.
I think that we need to not just smash the panic button. We were tired after a Lazarus-like effort to get back from 0-6.
Blaming Rohan is absurd given the failure of our vaunted mids to get their hands on the ball.

[barry]

The fact that 2014 GF and this game are so similar is the worry. Back in the 2005 to 2012 era we would never end a final series like that.

[O'Reilly Boy]

This is my comment generally and not just about the game last night. My comment also applies to the twos.

I think there is a cultural problem at the club.

Whilst the goals are laudable; high bloods standards, toughness, ensuring accountability there is a recurring theme that is creeping in the seniors and the firsts. What ever we are doing seems to fail us in finals.

When I look at seconds and seniors I see young players unable to maintain the standards, especially being able to keep a cool head and dispose of the ball well. Last night our terrible disposal under pressure cost us.

What's missing? I believe that the senior players do not create an environment that nurtures and inspires confidence to the young players. Over the last couple of years I think guys like mills and Heeney have been pushed around by the senior guys not supported.

Guys like McVeigh just admonish the young players all in the name of high standards. Kennedy is a bit of a lone wolf. Hanners and Parker have not emerged as true leaders. Buddy is self focussed.

We have no hodge, MITCHELL or Selwood to give the kids confidence and to bring out their best.

The club needs senior players who are genuine leaders that the young guys feel have their back. And most importantly want the kids to succeed. So many swans senior players don't live that value. That was the bloods culture . Remember Kelly and kirky? You can't expect kids like Newman, Haywood etc just to know how to do it. Great sides have senior players who teach not direct. Until we can find them we will not win a flag.

I have reservations about Kennedy as skipper, and thought that he looked a bit uncertain in those first six weeks (and to be fair he seemed to get around his teammates much more as the season progressed) but otherwise can't see much evidence for this. Lots of players re-signing, great spirit week after week when they sing the song, Buddy earlier in the season getting chipped for handing off rather than taking shots, sometimes generous to a fault. I do think that Parker and Hannebery need to step up, but they are harder elder statesmen yet. And as for McVeigh admonishing youngsters: it seems to me that Mills has not been shy about calling out his backline mates on occasions. I think that last night a tired team got taken on by a highly motivated, disciplined and skilled outfit and were half a metre off the pace all night. The diagnoses of finals chokers is not fair: they did not choke in the 2016 GF, but were beaten by a team on fire (and didn't get the run of the umpiring). Other than that, they played two cracking games against the Cats and Crows; in 2014 they were outstanding against North and the Dockers, before being comprehensively outplayed in the GF. There is no shame in that. I reckon that we do have a tendency to put players on the park who are a bit banged up?that may be the downside of the Bloods culture thing, but I also accept that by the time you get to mid September, most teams are carrying blokes with injuries.

[Blood Fever]

Whenever one of the younger players gets interviewed, he speaks so highly of the team leaders. Youngsters like Hayward extend their contracts before the first year is gone. No one, except perhaps a player not getting a regular senior spot, is asking to be traded. Maybe the young players are lying when they praise the culture and the leaders. I think that's what you are surmising, but the evidence says otherwise.

A team that plays with exquisite skills one week and rubbish the next doesn't imply a poor culture. I would look somewhere else for answers.

Logical and sane post

[Ludwig]

This is my comment generally and not just about the game last night. My comment also applies to the twos.

I think there is a cultural problem at the club.

Whilst the goals are laudable; high bloods standards, toughness, ensuring accountability there is a recurring theme that is creeping in the seniors and the firsts. What ever we are doing seems to fail us in finals.

When I look at seconds and seniors I see young players unable to maintain the standards, especially being able to keep a cool head and dispose of the ball well. Last night our terrible disposal under pressure cost us.

What's missing? I believe that the senior players do not create an environment that nurtures and inspires confidence to the young players. Over the last couple of years I think guys like mills and Heeney have been pushed around by the senior guys not supported.

Guys like McVeigh just admonish the young players all in the name of high standards. Kennedy is a bit of a lone wolf. Hanners and Parker have not emerged as true leaders. Buddy is self focussed.

We have no hodge, MITCHELL or Selwood to give the kids confidence and to bring out their best.

The club needs senior players who are genuine leaders that the young guys feel have their back. And most importantly want the kids to succeed. So many swans senior players don't live that value. That was the bloods culture . Remember Kelly and kirky? You can't expect kids like Newman, Haywood etc just to know how to do it. Great sides have senior players who teach not direct. Until we can find them we will not win a flag.

Whenever one of the younger players gets interviewed, he speaks so highly of the team leaders. Youngsters like Hayward extend their contracts before the first year is gone. No one, except perhaps a player not getting a regular senior spot, is asking to be traded. Maybe the young players are lying when they praise the culture and the leaders. I think that's what you are surmising, but the evidence says otherwise.

A team that plays with exquisite skills one week and rubbish the next doesn't imply a poor culture. I would look somewhere else for answers.

[Blood Fever]

This is my comment generally and not just about the game last night. My comment also applies to the twos.

I think there is a cultural problem at the club.

Whilst the goals are laudable; high bloods standards, toughness, ensuring accountability there is a recurring theme that is creeping in the seniors and the firsts. What ever we are doing seems to fail us in finals.

When I look at seconds and seniors I see young players unable to maintain the standards, especially being able to keep a cool head and dispose of the ball well. Last night our terrible disposal under pressure cost us.

What's missing? I believe that the senior players do not create an environment that nurtures and inspires confidence to the young players. Over the last couple of years I think guys like mills and Heeney have been pushed around by the senior guys not supported.

Guys like McVeigh just admonish the young players all in the name of high standards. Kennedy is a bit of a lone wolf. Hanners and Parker have not emerged as true leaders. Buddy is self focussed.

We have no hodge, MITCHELL or Selwood to give the kids confidence and to bring out their best.

The club needs senior players who are genuine leaders that the young guys feel have their back. And most importantly want the kids to succeed. So many swans senior players don't live that value. That was the bloods culture . Remember Kelly and kirky? You can't expect kids like Newman, Haywood etc just to know how to do it. Great sides have senior players who teach not direct. Until we can find them we will not win a flag.

Came back from 0-6. Never been done in history of the game. Had one poor finals game just like last year except no double chance. Some leadership and cultural problem!

[Mug Punter]

This is my comment generally and not just about the game last night. My comment also applies to the twos.

I think there is a cultural problem at the club.

Whilst the goals are laudable; high bloods standards, toughness, ensuring accountability there is a recurring theme that is creeping in the seniors and the firsts. What ever we are doing seems to fail us in finals.

When I look at seconds and seniors I see young players unable to maintain the standards, especially being able to keep a cool head and dispose of the ball well. Last night our terrible disposal under pressure cost us.

What's missing? I believe that the senior players do not create an environment that nurtures and inspires confidence to the young players. Over the last couple of years I think guys like mills and Heeney have been pushed around by the senior guys not supported.

Guys like McVeigh just admonish the young players all in the name of high standards. Kennedy is a bit of a lone wolf. Hanners and Parker have not emerged as true leaders. Buddy is self focussed.

We have no hodge, MITCHELL or Selwood to give the kids confidence and to bring out their best.

The club needs senior players who are genuine leaders that the young guys feel have their back. And most importantly want the kids to succeed. So many swans senior players don't live that value. That was the bloods culture . Remember Kelly and kirky? You can't expect kids like Newman, Haywood etc just to know how to do it. Great sides have senior players who teach not direct. Until we can find them we will not win a flag.

There's so much rubbish posted on here since we lost but I think you may have a point here

[O'Reilly Boy]

and he wore Capper shorts, restricting him even more.
Should have worn flappy Eddie Betts shorts .

Yes!! Bud is going to get big when football's over, isn't he?

[barracuda]

This is my comment generally and not just about the game last night. My comment also applies to the twos.

I think there is a cultural problem at the club.

Whilst the goals are laudable; high bloods standards, toughness, ensuring accountability there is a recurring theme that is creeping in the seniors and the firsts. What ever we are doing seems to fail us in finals.

When I look at seconds and seniors I see young players unable to maintain the standards, especially being able to keep a cool head and dispose of the ball well. Last night our terrible disposal under pressure cost us.

What's missing? I believe that the senior players do not create an environment that nurtures and inspires confidence to the young players. Over the last couple of years I think guys like mills and Heeney have been pushed around by the senior guys not supported.

Guys like McVeigh just admonish the young players all in the name of high standards. Kennedy is a bit of a lone wolf. Hanners and Parker have not emerged as true leaders. Buddy is self focussed.

We have no hodge, MITCHELL or Selwood to give the kids confidence and to bring out their best.

The club needs senior players who are genuine leaders that the young guys feel have their back. And most importantly want the kids to succeed. So many swans senior players don't live that value. That was the bloods culture . Remember Kelly and kirky? You can't expect kids like Newman, Haywood etc just to know how to do it. Great sides have senior players who teach not direct. Until we can find them we will not win a flag.